


Ignition Point

by FaunTK



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Firefighter AU, M/M, doctor!Billy, firefighter!Teddy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-18 04:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/875619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaunTK/pseuds/FaunTK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teddy, a firefighter, collapses from heat stroke after rescuing a resident from an apartment fire. Billy, an intern, is working in the emergency room when Teddy is rushed in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to Minumi-chan for bringing the Firefighter AU to the Billy/Teddy pairing. -Faun

The doors of the burning apartment building burst open as Teddy came out with the seven  year old – separated from his parents during their escape – in his arms. Nate rushed forward to take the child from Teddy and over to the paramedics to be sent to the hospital while Greg and Eli stayed on the hose, beginning to be more liberal in where they focused their attention now that the last of the residents was accounted for. But after the child was taken from his arms, Teddy staggered a few steps forward and crashed hard onto the sidewalk, his helmet making a loud crack as his head bounced, small streams of smoke swirling up from his fireproof turnout gear. Eli called out for help as Nate rushed back, pulling off Teddy's helmet and working off his coat. The paramedics were quick to bring over a stretcher as Eli and Nate stripped Teddy of his gear to help him cool faster, down to his sweat-soaked t-shirt and shorts he wore underneath.

As the paramedics loaded him onto the stretcher, Teddy regained consciousness for a split second, only to start retching and dry heaving from the heat stroke, his body shuddering from the heaving even as he lost consciousness again.

"Oh, God," Nate said as he stood back, finished with helping them load Teddy onto the stretcher. Even in all the times they'd worked out together or pushed themselves to their limits in training had he seen Teddy look so pathetic, his skin pale and chest heaving for air between violent heaves. "Cassie..."

Cassie looked at Nate, giving him one of those small but reassuring smiles he'd come to love. "They need you Nate, go. He'll be fine." Nate nodded, but kept staring at Teddy, stunned by how grotesque Teddy's face was compared to the health and calm it almost always had.

"Yeah," Nate said, about to walk back to the scene to finish putting out the fire.

"Relax, Nate, we've got this," Tommy said as he worked to cut off Teddy's shirt, the ice packs already lined around his body. "Billy's on tonight, so I'll make sure he's looked after."

"Thanks," Nate said, and for one of the few times Nate had ever talked to Tommy, Tommy just nodded, completely serious and focused on what he was doing, and didn't make a smartass comment.

"I'll see you later," Cassie said to Nate as she closed the ambulance doors. Nate walked back to the scene as the ambulance's lights flicked on, the screaming of the siren fading off into the distance as they finished putting out the fire.

\---

Billy worked at a thread on his scrubs top while he was waiting by the doors, going over in his head all of the possible scenarios for a heat stroke patient and all of the responses for each of the complications. Kate was busy with a three car pile-up, and it had become a habit for most of the residents to trust Billy with the more serious emergencies, particularly when Tommy was working during Billy's shift.

The brothers had a coordination and communication style that transcended the typical professional relationship, particularly the relationship between doctor and paramedic. The first time they'd worked together, Billy had gone on a tirade over the radio when his brother had questioned one of his instructions, shifting between medical rationale for his decision and personal insults that even Billy's attending was a little intimidated by, especially since it came from the quiet intern he had thought would get pushed around by bossy nurses and paramedics.

The more they worked together, though, the more they developed a mutual respect for each other: Tommy for Billy's medical knowledge and Billy for Tommy's calm under pressure.

As soon as he heard the siren, Billy's nerves started to buzz. He was more conscious of his breathing and the way his pulse was speeding up, and he still couldn't help jumping a little when the doors burst open.

"He's 104*," Tommy said, "he was 105* when we left." Billy nodded as he and the nurses took hold of the stretcher, immediately heading towards the ice bath they'd already filled. Moving Teddy, with the weight of all his muscles, made Billy feel weak, until finally they lowered him in. As his body submerged into the water, Teddy's eyes fluttered, and a pitiful groan slipped out as his muscles unconsciously thrashed against the cold.

They held him there for an exhausting ten minutes, until finally Billy was comfortable with the fever being manageable. As they lifted him out and moved him to a bed, loose water pouring off of his naked body, his hair in soaked strands with streams of water running from them, Billy stood back. His body hurt from being leaned over, holding the stronger man down into the cold water, then picking him up again, and stretched his back, putting his weight onto a food that was on a puddle of water. His foot flew out from under him, and he threw his weight back to keep from falling on the patient, falling instead backwards and into the ice bath. As two of the nurses moved Teddy into one of the rooms, another helped him out of the both.

"Start a saline I.V.," Billy said, his teeth starting to chatter. He was completely soaked and brushed the wet hair out of his face. "Use more ice packs, and epinephrine if his blood pressure stays low." The nurse nodded and walked out, making it just outside the doorway before she burst out laughing. Billy rolled his eyes and headed towards the lockers to change.

\---

When Teddy woke up, he felt wet and cold, yet dry and hot, before a bad throb in his head made him feel nothing but pain. When he opened his eyes the room was dark, and all around him were bags of half-melted ice: on his groin, under his arms, and against his neck, as well as a few mostly-melted ice packs strewn near his ankles and sides.

He groaned as he tried to sit up, immediately regretting it when the entire world seems to unhinge and spin wildly. It was enough to set the heart monitor off, and a few seconds later a nurse beside him, pressing buttons.

"Just relax," she said. "How do you feel?"

"Fine," Teddy said, his throat scratchy, "except for my head. And... everything else, actually."

"I'll let the doctor know you're awake," she said. "Can I get you anything first?"

"Some water," he said. His throat and mouth all felt too dry, even when the rest of his body felt completely soaked. The nurse got him a paper cup filled with water before walking out. Teddy took small sips at first, trying to enjoy the small cup as much as he could, but the third one turned into one large gulp as he downed the rest of the water. After his body shuddered hard from a chill, he leaned his head back and tried to decide about buzzing the nurse for more water -- more than a ketchup holder, at least -- when a man walked in. He looked exhausted, his hair hanging down in spikes from being wet while his eyes had that look of straining to focus, something he saw a lot of at the end of night shifts in fire station.

"I'm Dr. Kaplan," Billy said. "How do you feel?"

"Thirsty," Teddy said, tapping the small, emptied cup with finger. "And my head hurts." Billy put his clipboard down by Teddy's feet and pulled out a small stack of cups, setting them by the sink while he filled a pitcher. "When can I get out of here?"

"Probably tomorrow night," Billy said.

"I have a shift tomorrow."

"No, you don't." Billy didn't look at Teddy, and even with his mouth open to say something Teddy couldn't argue with the firmness of the man’s tone. He handed Teddy another cup of water, moving the table over so he could refill the cups more easily. "I'll get you something better to drink from."

"I have to spend a day in bed because I'm thirsty?"

"You have to spend a day in bed because you suffered from heatstroke and you were critically dehydrated. You still have a fever." Teddy sighed.

"My head hurts and I'm thirsty," he said again, and he gave a sheepish smile when Billy rolled his eyes. "Is the kid okay?"

"What kid?"

"The one I went back for," Teddy said, reaching for another cup of water.

"I don't know, he probably went to the children's E.R."

"Oh." Teddy tried to sit up again, but the dizziness rolled over him and he could feel Billy's hand on his chest.

"You're too dehydrated, just lean back and relax." Teddy nodded, too dizzy to fight back, but a part of him enjoying the feeling of Billy touching him, only the thin fabric of the gown between his skin and the gentle fingers.

"What happened to my shirt?" Teddy asked.

"They cut it off in the ambulance."

"I liked that shirt." Teddy smiled when he got Billy to roll his eyes again.

"You'd think a manly fireman wouldn't be talking about sacrifices for fashion."

"Not fashion, it was for function. That shirt was warm enough on cool days, cool enough on warm days, and soft on my skin but tough enough to stay in place under my turnout. I liked that shirt."

"You want me to dig through the trash so you can sew it back together?"

"Not to wear it, but it deserves a proper retirement." Billy rolled his eyes again and Teddy grinned again. "What's your name?"

"Dr. Kaplan."

"You're a little young for a doctor."

"I worked hard, and it's only my first year." Billy had no idea why he was explaining it; usually he just brushed it off when patients commented on his age.

"Well, I don't want to know your last name. I want to know your real name. I'm Teddy."

"I know, genius, it's on your chart. It's also on the whiteboard outside, in the computer, and on your bracelet."

"Then if you had a bracelet," Teddy asked, "what would be on it?" He smiled, and Billy got caught up in the blue of Teddy's eyes. Billy had to admit that Teddy looked good, especially when he had color in his face and was smiling with the cheeky little smile. Billy let out a tired laugh, exasperated but too amused for a scoff.

"Billy," he said finally. Teddy nodded his head a little as he looked over Billy's face, almost seeming to study it.

"Your hair's wet."

"Yeah."

"How'd it get wet?" Teddy asked.

"I...," Billy grabbed the clipboard down by Teddy's foot, looking up at the heart monitor, trying to bide time, hoping Teddy would get distracted enough for him to change the subject. But when he looked back, Teddy was just smiling, watching Billy and waiting for his answer. "I fell in your ice bath." Teddy laughed a little, groaning when the laugh wracked his muscles that were still sore from the retching.

"I guess that makes you a good doctor, yeah? Suffering with your patients?"

"I guess," Billy said.

"Well, it's either that or a complete klutz. Work with me, Billy." Billy actually laughed at that, a genuine laugh, and Teddy enjoyed it. He looked Billy over again, the way a stray spike of drying hair slipped from behind his ear and grazed his cheek, the way his scrubs were just slightly shifted on Billy's shoulders, the left side showing a little bit more skin.

"You have other patients, don't you?" Teddy asked. He gave a small smile when Billy looked at him, caught off guard by the question. He realized he was enjoying himself too much, spending too much time talking to this one patient, but deep down inside Billy was scared it was Teddy's way of asking him to leave.

"Yeah," Billy said as he gathered up the clipboard, standing and walking to the foot of the bed. "Just let the nurse know if you need anything, you should be alright. No permanent damage, just don't make it a habit of spending too much time in burning buildings."

"Not like it's my job, or anything," Teddy grinned and Billy laughed a little.

"Just be safe, okay?" Billy was scared of those immediately after they tumbled out of his mouth. "I mean, you have to be smarter about it." Quiet filled the room, and Billy cleared his throat, starting to leave. "I'll have the nurse give you something for the headache. Hope you feel better," he said.

"Will I see you again?" Teddy asked. Billy stopped and chewed on his lip. Teddy sat there, watching and waiting as patiently as he had before, though there was something small and insecure ghosted in that cheeky grin.

"I'll stop in again before my shift is over, yeah."

"And after that?" Teddy was anxious now, eyes locked on Billy's.

"You're a patient," Billy said, looking away.

"And after tomorrow I won't be anymore. I mean, can I Just... have your number? Or something?" Teddy's pulse was picking up a little, along with his blood pressure. Though Billy didn't need a screen with vital signs to see how nervous Teddy was asking him. Even as soft as his voice had gotten and visibly tense he'd gotten, he never broke eye contact, never focused on anything other than Billy.

"Yeah," Billy said, rubbing the back of his neck, before looking at Teddy and nodding. "Sure, I guess. I have to go, but I'll see you later, okay?" Teddy smiled and nodded, leaning his head back, closing his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Cris-art for all of the great artwork she does, particularly her Billy/Teddy stuff. Fireman stuff, centaur stuff, zombie stuff, all kinds of AU. Check her out on Deviantart and Tumblr.
> 
> Also, shout out to my boyfriend, the guy who's kept me focused during my post-graduation funk. He listens when I'm whiny, encourages me when I'm down, and he's patient when I drag my feet. He's been there for me with whatever I needed every time I needed it. For everyone who likes this chapter, he's the one to thank. Love you, Jee! -Faun

It was 1 p.m. when Nate and Eli finally made it to the hospital. They both had needed sleep right after the rest of the shift was over, and had stopped by their apartment to pick up some of Teddy's clothes. The door to the hospital room they'd moved him to was open slightly, and as they walked in it was clear from the way Teddy was blinking his eyes and squinting that he'd been asleep.

"Sorry," Nate said.

"It's fine," Teddy said, stretching to wake himself up before frowning at the I.V. still in his arm. "How'd the rest of the shift go?"

"It was pretty quiet. Two car accidents and a toaster catching fire to finish it up."

"And the kid?"

"He's fine," Eli said. "They kept him overnight for mild burns and smoke inhalation. His mother said they thought he'd be out by tomorrow. She said to say thanks." Teddy shrugged and relaxed back into the bed.

"Good. Too bad I went full wimp onto the sidewalk right after." Nate frowned.

"Ted, you did more than anyone would have asked for. Right?" Nate asked, looking at Eli.

"You ate the pavement so hard I’m surprised you didn’t cough it back up.” Eli smirked when Nate rolled his eyes. “It had every right to hit you back. But… Nate's right. You did good, whether your irrational Atlas complex says you did or not."

"Thanks," Teddy said, more out of placation than agreement. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "You guys wanna watch T.V.?"

"Sure," Nate said, smiling at Teddy's change of the subject.

\---

Billy was suddenly nervous when he got to Teddy's room. Inside he could hear laughing and a sports show on T.V., bad plays of the day he guessed. He was chewing on doubt and self-consciousness in his mind, starting to wonder if maybe he hadn't misunderstood Teddy, or if maybe Teddy hadn't just been delirious from exhaustion, or even emotional from a near-death. And how would Teddy's reaction change with others in the room?

So when Billy opened the door, even though he was in his regular clothes instead of his scrubs, he was just an E.R. doctor visiting a stable patient as far as anyone knew. That was safe. 

As he walked in, the three stopped talking and looked at him. The other two looked a little confused, one of them more curious while the other looked suspicious. Billy tried to act calm, but his smile was small and nervous. Teddy looked almost surprised at first before he laughed a little.

"Hey, Billy," he said, looking at the others. "This is the doctor from last night." The two nodded.

"Nice to meet you," the curious one said. "I'm Nate, and this is Eli. I've heard a bit about you." Billy stared at him. "My girlfriend works with your brother."

"Cassie?" Nate nodded. "Oh, God..."

"Yeah," Nate said with a sympathetic smile. "She's only mentioned the good things Tommy's said about you."

"I'd bet money he’s told her a lot more than just good things about me."

"Yeah... I mean, he's..." He looked out the window, trying to find the word, but Billy cut in.

"He's a lot of things, I know." Nate laughed and Billy smiled a little, relaxing a bit. "So please accept a blanket apology for anything he's done in the past or will do in the future." Nate nodded to him.

"Hey," Teddy said to Billy, "can they get me something from the cafeteria? I'm starving over here."

"You didn’t get your lunch?" Billy asked.

"They brought me a tray of what they kept calling lunch, which is why I'm starving." Billy rolled his eyes and walked over to lean against the counter by the sink.

"Those are healthy, pre-planned meals designed to be nutritionally balanced and easily catalogued for more accurate observation results."

"I didn't hear the words 'food' or 'lunch' anywhere in there," Teddy said, grinning.

"He's only here a day, isn't he?” Nate asked. “Would it hurt the results that bad?"

"I'm not condoning it as a doctor, but I can't really stop you from bringing him something..." Nate and Eli were already heading for the door. "Just nothing heavy. No pizza and no steak." Eli gave him a dismissive wave as he closed the door. With Billy and Teddy alone, Billy sat in the chair and stared at the floor, hands clasped tight, until finally Teddy cleared his throat.

"I was starting to think you wouldn’t come."

"Yeah, sorry. I overslept. Forgot to set the alarm on my phone. Good thing it woke me up when it died."

"Oh," Teddy said as he scratched at the tape near the I.V. port in his arm. "You drove home and back here?"

"I slept in an on-call room. I was too wiped out after the shift to drive."

"I know how that is," he said, quiet for a second, then smiled. "I'm really glad you came."

"Yeah?" Teddy nodded, turning the T.V. a little lower.

"I know, it's kind of forward and all, but I just want to get to know you better for some reason. I mean, yeah, you're cute, but..." He shrugged. "I don't know. There's just something about you." Billy’s face got hot at the “cute” comment.

"Not much to know about me, honestly. I'm pretty boring, especially compared to a fireman."

"Boring is fine, I'm easy to amuse." Teddy gave a smile that was slightly off somehow. Billy almost thought it was a smile of forced confidence masking insecurity, but it was still just so genuine that it didn't even matter to him. He smiled back, laughing a little, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

"Well, my name is Billy, I'm a doctor doing my internship here, uh... I have an idiot brother? I... don't really know what to say. Can you ask questions or something?"

"How'd you get into medicine?" Teddy asked, shifting a little onto his side so he could face Billy better.

"Well, my father's a cardiologist and my mother's a psychologist, so the choice between doctor and attorney was pretty skewed towards doctor. But I also grew up liking medicine. It was either be a doctor or a biochemist, and I picked doctor because of some naive idea that doctors are noble servants who spend their career protecting the public... then I get my first few patients and all I want to do is have nobody die because of me."

"Sounds stressful. Does it ever get to you?"

"Every once in a while, yeah."

"What do you do to unwind?" Billy looked down at the foot of the bed, up at the T.V., even up at the heart monitor, chewing on his lip.

"I guess I sleep."

"That doesn't count," Teddy said.

"Why not?" Billy asked with a nervous laugh, and Teddy laughed with him. A warm laugh.

"Because you'd have to do that anyway. What do you do for fun?"

"Comic books, I guess. I used to read actual books, but ever since med school I haven't had time. Comic books are the last bit of real life I have left, which works since I’m way more into them than novels anyways."

"Who's your favorite superhero?"

"The Scarlet Witch," Billy said.

"I like Iron Man." Billy and Teddy both laughed. For a while they talked about comic books, then their collections, then living situations.

"So you live with those guys, or...?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. We have a place pretty close to the station. It's just easier. We each have our own rooms for privacy, but it's not too far out of the way from work. We get along well enough that needing the place for dates isn't a big deal. Nate usually goes to Cassie's place. You said you knew her?"

"Yeah, her shift usually overlaps with me. They like me and Tommy working together. My luck, right?" Teddy smiled.

"So your brother’s the infamous Tommy?"

"The two DNA tests have said so, but there's a third one still out. So I'm hoping..."

"You two don't get along?" Billy sighed and leaned his head back. Teddy had a dopey smile while he watched Billy, freed up to stare at the skin where Billy's neck met his shoulder, bared by the way his shirt had shifted.

"I mean, we do," Billy finally said. "I bitch and moan about him, but he's my best friend in the world. He's always been there for me when I truly needed him, and he'd drop everything for me if I was in trouble. But, you know, then he opens his mouth. And that's when he says something obnoxiously embarrassing or sarcastic, and you just want to knock that stupid face into an alternate dimension. So as long as it's an emergency or he's tranquilized, he's really great. And the rest of the time, you're standing on a street corner, and a moving bus is coming, and all you can think is 'Just one push...'"

"So all the stories Cassie's told about how impulsive and tactless he is?"

"Probably all true. You know, it makes him a good paramedic in a way. He has the strength of personality to take charge of a situation. You just also have to laugh off everything he says and never expect him to be serious. If he gets his hooks into you about something, he'll ride you all the way with it."

"I know someone like that, except he's not my brother."

"So what about your family?" Billy asked.

"My father was a Navy SEAL who died on an assignment way back when I was a baby, and my mother was a real estate agent who was killed in a mugging when I was seventeen."

"Oh," Billy said. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Teddy shrugged. "It still hurts every now and then, but it's in the past. I still stay in touch with my grandfather on my mom's side, but it's a once-every-few-months sort of thing."

"Does he know? About... you? And what you like?”

Teddy shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, we aren't so close that I'd care what he thought. It's just not something that's relevant. And to be honest, it's none of his business. You?"

"Tommy knows, obviously, since I live him. And my parents know, but my little brothers don’t, and neither do the rest of my family . I can’t imagine my bubbe finding out." There was a knock on the door as Teddy's new doctor walked in. He looked almost surprised for a second as he and Billy shared a look, the new doctor serious while Billy went almost submissive.

"Dr. Kaplan."

"Dr. Ziggler," Billy said, standing up. He gave a quick glance to Teddy and a slight wave. "I should head out. It was nice talking to you."

"Uh, yeah," Teddy said, shifting in the bed. "Hey, you think you could stick around just a few more minutes? Wanted to ask you something." Billy chewed his lip, staring down at the floor while Dr. Ziggler busied himself with Teddy's chart, trying to play his scowl off as a look of focus.

"I... yeah." He sighed as he said it and hurried out the door, leaving Teddy alone with Dr. Ziggler.

\---

Billy picked at a thread on his shirt during the awkward wait in the hall, until ten minutes later Dr. Ziggler opened the door and walked away, leaving it open for Billy to go back inside. Billy slipped in, walking back over next to the bed, but not sitting down.

"So," Teddy said, "what are we calling that? Awkward? Or...?"

"I guess awkward works." Billy said, more quiet than he had been before. "You got added to his caseload because I dropped you, and I’m just an annoying intern to him anyways. Now I'm an annoying and bothersome intern." Teddy nodded, frowning. "So, you had a question?"

"Yeah." Teddy nodded and cleared his throat. "So, uh, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch some time? Like, not just lunch. Get to know each other more. Over lunch."

"So... a get-to-know-each-other lunch? Like, as friends?"

"Yeah. I mean, no. Not just friends. But... a friendly lunch. More like a... you know. A not-date lunch. But not like a not-ever-date lunch. Just a... I don't know." He let out a huff. "I think you're cute, and I want us to have lunch. And if I can get it as a date, then I'd love that. But if not, then we can at least be friends?"

"Sure." Billy's face was a bit red, and he jumped a little as Eli and Nate started walking in. Billy grabbed a pen and wrote his number down on the back of a cafeteria receipt he had crumpled in his pocket. He started to hand it to Teddy, but realized Teddy had no place to put it.

"Just in that bag," Teddy said, nodding to the clear plastic bag his clothes were in. "So, which one is it, exactly?"

"I'll write it down," Billy said, glancing over at Nate and Eli, who had set Teddy's lunch on the table by Teddy and were opening up their own lunches. He slipped the paper into the bag and smiled, a light wave of his hand as he headed out the door. "Just let me know about it."

"Yeah," Teddy said, giving a wave back and forcing a smile. "See ya." Teddy fought with his gown while he stood up, heading over to the plastic bag sitting by the sink.

"You okay?" Nate asked while he rolled the table into place for Teddy to eat.

"Yeah, just need a piss before I eat. All these fluids, you know?" Nate nodded, while Eli rolled his eyes.

"TMI, man," Eli said. Teddy fished in the bag for the note, pulling it out. Billy had written his number, then below it 'Date.'" He was grinning as he stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans for safety and headed to the bathroom.


End file.
